Conor McGregor has been branded an "embarrassment" by Irish fans after lashing out at beloved Dublin comedian PJ Gallagher yesterday.
The legendary UFC fighter took to social media to make a number of crude comments about Gallagher, who is a radio host and stand-up comedian with a large fanbase in Ireland. The funnyman has been outspoken about his struggles with mental health over the past year, opening up on multiple occasions about being admitted to a mental health facility.
McGregor mocked Gallagher for his struggles and appeared to make physical threats towards him in a series of tweets, the majority of which have since been deleted. The fighter is known for posting slews of tweets before deleting them, going on such sprees almost weekly.
"PJ Gallagher, you little sad pox of a thing. Sit up right and smile for a change will you?" McGregor wrote in one shocking message. "You sad little c*** hahahaha wife left you an all and your crying in the paper bout depression, posture like a prawn. Sad b******. I am Ireland. Don't forget it. There's blood on my flag useesoo."
McGregor also shared a photo from his 2020 fight with Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone, which he won by way of a vicious TKO within the first minute. In the picture, Cerrone is bloodied on both cheeks having taken a number of big shots from McGregor, and the Irishman captioned it: "PJ walking home".
McGregor defended his tweets when pushed by a fan online, writing: "Ok so I’ll say nothing and get insulted by someone who advocates for mental health in the paper. Ok, that about sounds right. The hypocrisy!" He later added: "If they come at me I’m going for the jugular, I’m sorry. I didn’t start anything. Just the finish."
Gallagher, who is one of the stars of BBC comedy The Young Offenders, was celebrating one year since he was admitted to St Patrick's Mental Health Services in Dublin. He shared a photo from his last day hosting his Radio Nova show before he was admitted, letting fans know how serious his issues had become.
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"Today is one year exactly since I was admitted into St Pats with mental illness," Gallagher wrote. "This pic in Radio Nova was the last one taken before I went in. Absolutely torn up inside and scared out of my s**** of what was gonna happen next. Today I’ve never felt better in my life."
In a follow-up message, the comedian added: "I’m far from a professional and I don’t have a lot of advice to give anyone. Also I was very privileged to even get into the hospital at all. All I’ll say is, no matter how bad you are, there is a road back. Don’t take no for an answer."
It appears that McGregor's feud with Gallagher dates back to a joke the comedian made on Twitter after UFC commentator Laura Sanko mistakenly claimed that the Irishman was a British fighter, and listed him among her top fighters from the UK. The radio host joked on Twitter: "Normally this kind of thing winds me up but they can have this lad."
It is known to be a particular sore spot for Irish people when famed athlete from the country are claimed to be British, given that the Republic of Ireland is a sovereign nation. The likes of McGregor, Katie Taylor and other major sport stars have frequently been falsely referred to as being from the UK.
